Sister Maureen Counters Chaput’s Argument against Child Sex Abuse Law & First Friday Vigil Reminder

By Sister Maureen Paul Turlish
Catholics4Change
October 2, 2012

http://catholics4change.com/2012/10/02/sister-maureen-counters-chaputs-argument-against-child-sex-abuse-law-first-friday-vigil-reminder/

First Friday Vigil outside the Archdiocesan Offices at 222 N. 17th Street on October 5, 2012 from 12 noon to 1 p.m.

Advocate Sister Maureen Paul Turlish sent the following to the Archdiocesan-administered PhillyCatholic.com in response to Archbishop Chaput’s recent comments regarding child sex abuse legislation.

What about our Church’s Sanctity of Life issues, its Pro-Life position and the fact that so many refuse to broaden their vision to include the comprehensive ethic of life about which Joseph Cardinal Bernardin speaks of in “A Consistent Ethic of Life: An American-Catholic Dialogue?”

How is it that Archbishop Chaput and the bishops of Pennsylvania can oppose PA House Bill 2488 so cavalierly? Do not all of Pennsylvania’s children have a right to the full protection of law? To access Justice?

Then why has Archbishop Chaput misrepresented this law and the previously introducted HB 832 & 878 saying that such laws would only apply to the Catholic Church? That was untrue.

The same thing was tried in Delaware when opponents, including the Catholic Diocese of Wilmington, claimed that Delaware’s proposed law only applied to accusations of childhood sexual abuse against those representing the Catholic Church. That was never true.

After Senate Bill 29 became law in 2007 and included a two year civil window for previously time barred cases of childhood sexual abuse by anyone, the Catholic Diocese of Wilmington twice contested the constitutionality of the new law while the religious community of men, the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales, contested its constitutionality once. They all failed.

Likewise the “Sovereign Immunity” claim also failed because the law was clear on that as I suspect is the case in PA.

Archbishop Chaput, you misrepresented proposed legislation to better protect all of Colorado’s children and you are now attempting to do the same thing in Pennsylvania.

Have you no shame?

The bishops have a responsibility to support the totality of the Church’s Pro-Life position from cradle to grave and this is not being done when bishops viciously oppose needed legislation to better protect children, hold all who would sexually exploit chidren accountable along with enabling individuals and institutions who are found to have covered up such horrific acts.

All Life is sacred.